Liam Kerr

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its five-year review of the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018, what its position is on the "fundamental dishonesty" regime that has been part of the system in England and Wales since 2015.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The current system of personal injury litigation was arrived at after careful parliamentary consideration that led to the passing of the 2018 Act. Whilst the Scottish Government has noted the approach taken in England and Wales there are no immediate plans to…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its five-year review of the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018, what consideration is being given to when qualified one-way costs shifting (QOCS) may be disapplied due to fraud, abuse of process or unreasonable behaviour by the pursuer.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Section 8 of the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018 makes provision for a qualified one-way costs shifting (QOCS) regime in Scotland and sets out when QOCS may be disapplied.As set out in section 23(2) of the Act, the report…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018, what its position is on the suggestion of a "portal" for case management.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government considers that proposals for a case management portal is worth exploring and has been in discussion with stakeholders.

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the five-year review of the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018, in light of it being overdue.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Work on the five-year review of Parts 1 to 3 of the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018 is in progress and the Scottish Government will publish the review as soon as possible.

9 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31038 by Siobhian Brown on 13 November 2024, when it will (a) commence and (b) conclude its evaluation of the legal aid trainee fund; who will be involved in the evaluation; on what basis the achievement of the fund will be evaluated; should the eva…

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Fund was co-designed and funded between the Scottish Government and the Law Society of Scotland (“the Society”) and was part of an overall support package for the legal aid sector as it recovered from COVID 19 and is due to close at the end of…

9 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31040 by Siobhian Brown on 13 November 2024, whether it will provide the information requested regarding for what reason there has been a reported reduction in the number of criminal legal aid solicitors, since 2007, from 1,459 to 966.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Patterns of business in the criminal justice system have changed fundamentally since 2007 due to reductions in crime, the increasing availability and use of alternatives to prosecution and trends towards earlier resolution of cases. This means that the demand…

5 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it is allocating to legal aid in its draft Budget 2025-26.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: This information is in the public domain and can be found on the Scottish Government’s website where the Scottish Budget sets out the Scottish Government’s proposed spending and tax plans for 2025-26 as presented to the Scottish Parliament. Please…

5 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether its draft Budget 2024-25 will lead to funding being provided to the Belmont Cinema in Aberdeen and, if so, how much, and what (a) positive and (b) negative indirect consequences the Budget proposals might have on the cinema.

Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government recognises the huge value that the Belmont, and cultural cinema as a whole, bring to Scotland’s creative landscape. Cinemas like the Belmont are a vital source of cultural experience, community connection, learning, and wellbeing…

5 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reported £13.3 million reduction in the budget of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) that has been proposed in the 2025-26 draft Budget could have on the operation of SCTS, including from what areas of this operation this reduction will be met.

Answer · Angela Constance: The prior year 2024-25 Budget comparator figures are based on the latest in-year budget numbers which were revised at the Autumn Budget Revision. The 2023-24 Scottish Budget comparator figures reflect the outturn numbers for that year.It is not the case that …

4 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the monthly average sales income for fishermen has been in each of the last three years to date.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: For the years 2021 to 2023, the average monthly sales income has been calculated for fishers employed on Scottish Vessels. This is given in the following table:Monthly average sales income for fishers on Scottish registered vessels, 2021 - 2023 202120222…

20 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the current prison population, broken down by each institution within the Scottish Prison Service estate.

Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:As of Friday 22 November, the prison population was 8278, broken down by establishment as shown in the following table:EstablishmentToda…

19 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has undertaken on Project Pegasus in England and Wales to tackle retail crime, and what conclusions it has drawn from this research. 

Answer · Kate Forbes: Discussions regarding retail crime have taken place between the Scottish Government and retail stakeholders through the Retail Industry Leadership Group (ILG), Co-Chaired by the Minister for Employment and Investment. Additionally, there has been early engage…

19 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether it has a role in facilitating a scheme similar to Project Pegasus in Scotland to tackle retail crime, and, if so, whether it is considering (a) setting up and (b) funding such a scheme. 

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government recognises the vital role of retailers in our society and want to ensure that they are protected. We also recognise the distress caused by retail crime, particularly to staff. The investigation of criminal activity and deployment of re…

19 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether it would provide funding to an equivalent scheme to Project Pegasus in England and Wales to tackle retail crime.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government is aware of the business and policing partnership Project Pegasus, currently operating in England and Wales. We are committed to exploring any possible options to tackle organised retail crime in Scotland and are open to exploring the …

14 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the setting up of a contact centre to manage victims signing up to the Victim Notification Scheme, how much has been allocated to the setting up and ongoing running of the centre, and whether this is new money that will not be taken from funds allocated to victim support …

Answer · Siobhian Brown: We will work with victim support organisations and justice partners to take forward reforms to the Victim Notification Scheme to make use of resources and expertise that already exist, including within Scottish Government. The current work of the Victim Centr…

12 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the design capacity is of HMP Barlinnie; how many prisoners it currently holds, and how many cells typically accommodate more than one inmate.

Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:HMP Barlinnie has a total of 966 cells and a design capacity of 996. As of 19 November, the establishment held 1366 prisoners.SPS are un…

11 Nov 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is, regarding any implications for its Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, to the reported announcement by Apache that it will cease all operations in the North Sea by the end of 2029.

11 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in the event that it recommends a change to the dual role of the Lord Advocate, what process it will follow within its statutory power to give effect to the report by the former chief executive of the Scottish Law Commission regarding the offices of the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor G…

Answer · Angela Constance: The baseline report is aimed at developing the understanding of the roles and functions of the Law Officers with a view to consulting on their role. The Law Officers’ role is secured by the Scotland Act 1998. What any changes to that role would require …

11 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the brief that it provided to the former chief executive of the Scottish Law Commission to inform and instruct his report regarding the offices of the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General.

Answer · Angela Constance: The brief will be included with the published report.

11 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects the report by the former chief executive of the Scottish Law Commission regarding the offices of the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General to be (a) received by ministers, (b) produced and (c) published.

Answer · Angela Constance: Work is progressing on finalising the baseline report after which it will be presented to Ministers and thereafter published. While its important that this work progresses, it is also important that the report is considered, robust and accurate. I will report…

11 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the design capacity is of HMP Inverness; how many prisoners it currently holds, and how many cells typically accommodate more than one inmate.

Answer · Angela Constance: HMP Inverness has a total of 73 cells and a design capacity of 93. As of 12 November, the establishment held 116 prisoners.SPS are unable to quantify the number of cells that typically accommodate more than one person in our care, due to the many variables th…

4 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the legal aid budget has reduced by 45%, allowing for inflation, over the last 10 years, whether it plans to restore it to the level that it would have been were it to have been uprated each year by inflation, or to otherwise increase it.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Legal Aid Fund is demand-led and directly linked to application numbers and all eligible costs are met. The Scottish Legal Aid Board’s Annual Accounts and Report 2023-24 show that the total cost of legal aid has increased 12% on the previous year to…

4 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the reason why there has been a reported reduction in criminal aid solicitors, since 2007, from 1,459 to 966.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Legal Aid Board doesn’t use the register of criminal legal aid solicitors as an indication of solicitor availability. A small number of solicitors register and do small amounts of work to meet ad hoc requests from individual clients. They o…

4 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will renew the legal aid trainee fund.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The current Traineeship Fund is due to end in March 2025. Learning lessons from previous grant funding projects such as this is extremely important, and the outcome of the evaluation will help shape and inform any decisions with regards to a future Traineeshi…

28 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the capacity is of the new HMP Highland, and whether each cell will accommodate one prisoner only. 

Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:HMP Highland will have a design capacity of 200 prisoner places which includes 12 cells designed to accommodate two people.

28 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the capacity is of the new HMP Glasgow, and whether each cell will accommodate one prisoner only.  

Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:HMP Glasgow will have a design capacity of 1,344 prisoner places which includes 120 cells designed to accommodate two people.

27 Oct 2024 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it launched a court appeal against a ruling by the Scottish Information Commissioner, in light of this costing tens of thousands of pounds and it reportedly receiving legal advice that it was likely to fail.

22 Oct 2024 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on Police Scotland’s extension across Scotland of the north east pilot of not investigating "low-level" crime.

1 Oct 2024 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it anticipates that the planned closure of Grangemouth oil refinery will have on the Forties Pipeline System and associated jobs and businesses.  

30 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26191 by Jenny Gilruth on 9 April 2024, whether it will provide the latest timescales and developments regarding the establishment of a Centre for Teaching Excellence, including whether the co-production of the Centre concluded "by th…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Co-Production Group had their final meeting in June 2024. The group provided advice on the functions of the Centre and the principles that will underpin its operation.The host of the Centre will be determined through a competitive grant process which will…